Medium Build

Medium Build operates as the creative vehicle for singer and songwriter Nick Carpenter. A sonic approach shaped by residence across opposite coasts of the United States, matched with direct and candid writing, has allowed the project to develop listeners through repeated support dates with FINNEAS and Lewis Capaldi plus the well-streamed tracks “comeonback,” “Say Hi,” “In My Room,” and the X Ambassadors collaboration “Friend for Life.” Carpenter issued his major-label debut Country in 2024 together with the EP Marietta.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Carpenter first encountered music while attending church services with his mother. Following studies in Nashville, he sought work as a professional songwriter and performed with the band Little Moses. Medium Build originated when a visit to his brother in Anchorage, Alaska, became a permanent move; Carpenter threw himself into the local artistic community and surrounding landscape. Early self-released output carried a lo-fi full-band texture alongside introspective, honest lyrics addressing heartaches and mental health. The debut Falling Apart appeared in 2016, followed by the 2018 albums Softboy and Roughboy and Wild in 2019, all recorded with fellow songwriter James Glaves.

After Wild, Carpenter and Glaves parted company, and Medium Build remained inactive until the 2022 single “comeonback.” Carpenter’s emotive vocal delivery recalled that of Scottish songwriter Lewis Capaldi, who later booked Medium Build as an opening act. Within the same year the project signed to Island Records, releasing buzzy singles such as “Rage,” “Say Hi,” and “In My Room” along with the EP Health (2023); “comeonback” reached X Ambassadors singer Sam Harris, who enlisted Carpenter for the 2023 single “Friend for Life,” a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s alternative digital chart. Following major opening slots with FINNEAS and a South by Southwest performance in 2023, Medium Build released the acoustic, introspective Country in 2024 and supported it by opening for Tyler Childers on his summer tour. Later that year the EP Marietta arrived, featuring a duet with Julien Baker on “Yoke.”